Sungazing question

[Yoda]

A friend of mine is raving about sungazing within an hour of sunrise or sunset as explained here:

 

http://www.solarhealing.com/sgprocess.htm

 

He has just started a week ago, so he doesn't have too much to go on, but he seems pretty stoked. I've seen practices like this alluded to before but I've never checked them out. Thanks for any thoughts!

 

-Yoda

[Yoda]

So this friend of mine has announced that meditation, sungazing, and sperm retention are the three keys to spiritual growth in that order.

 

I've gotten some good insights from him in the past, so I'm inclined to check into sungazing. Are there any other step-by-step programs out there? If so, let me know. I'd like to shop around to other systems too.

 

-Yoda

[sean]

I found this page very informative:

http://www.rawpaleodiet.org/sungazing/

 

The page is by Vinny Pinto as are all the pages on rawpaleodiet.org. He is an interesting guy who seems very grounded and reasonable and is outspoken on a variety of things most of which loosely relate to the Raw Paleo diet as is defined by Aajonus Vonderplanitz. His favorite practices outside of rawpaleo diet though are pretty interesting and you can find great resources on his site for effective microorganisms, the releasing practices of Lester Levenson, something called HeartMath (http://www.heartmath.com/) that I have yet to explore further, and, to steer right back on topic, sungazing.

 

If anything you should definitely check out the Yahoo group he runs for sungazing. It's filled with generally serious practitioners that can help you:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sungazing

 

Sean.

[Yoda]

Sean,

 

Have you tried it yourself?

 

-Yoda

[sean]

Very very very briefly one time. It's kind of scary for me because I generally have this ultra-scientific voice in my head and in this case it's saying "medical science believes that looking directly into the sun for a few seconds can cause permanent blindness. Do you really want to trust your vision to something you've read on the Internet?" :shock:

 

Also, the guidelines I've gathered about a proper beginning sungazing practice are a little tough for me. I think the ideal starting practice is 5 minutes at sunrise with barefeet on the earth and no contacts/glasses. Well I live in a very urban area and the idea of getting up at 5am to find a patch of dirt in my concrete ghetto so I can stand in it barefoot and without eyewear (I'm blind as shit) does not get me too energized to set my alarm for this practice.

 

But it's comforting to join the Yahoo Group and read the posts of dozens and dozens of people that are doing it every day with no ill effects. It's actual very synchronistic that you posted about sungazing (I've been noticing a lot of odd synchronicities on the forum lately) because just this week I was thinking about sungazing again and about posting if anyone had experience with it. I tend to get really run down and somewhat depressed during the winter time. The other day I actually went to a tanning bed for the sole purpose of seeing if it would improve my mood/energy and I believe it actually did help me significantly. It got me thinking about how I can integrate more solar energy into my life and naturally I thought of sungazing.

 

Maybe I will ease into a practice. Like once a week for 5 minutes. It'd be a nice excuse to get up for a sunrise anyway. From what I know of you though, this practice sounds right up your alley. Definitely let us know what your experience is if you begin trying it.

 

Sean.

[Cameron]

My Dad practices it. I think he wants to become Immortal. I almost lost my mouthful of salad when we were eating at sweet tomatoes and he says " I am doing an ancient practice from India called sun gazing and it's supposed to make you live forever" LOL! Old schooler.

[Yoda]

One website mentions following the "baby test" babies gaze at the sun if it feels good and they'll look away if it is painful. The solarhealing.com guy doesn't even look into the sun anymore, he just walks or stands barefoot in the sun 45 minutes a day. Just do that part. I'll experiment with both, but I definitely have been a mushroom for awhile and need to get in the habit of catching more rays. Solarhealing says that getting the sun on your toes is key to activating the glands in the brain... VERY similar to Bodri's WSM actually. Like WSM, Solarhealing says that the big toe is the most important (pineal?), but that each toe is associated with a gland. Makes one want to stand/WSM/sunbathe at the same time!

 

-Yoda

[Cameron]

I also would have atough time getting past the whole "may permanently screw up your vision" thing. Supposedly this Indian guy has been doing it forever but I'll still rely on meditation and other stuff before taking his or my Dad's word on it.

[Yoda]

That's great that your Dad is into it--it's unusual for somebody of that generation to experiment with this kind of thing. What I've done for the last sunset and sunrise, just take in the whole scene the way most people do--direct, gentle sunlight is hitting my retina but I'm not focusing on it. Seems to be safe enough.

 

Approx 40 minutes each.

 

Subjective results after two sessions:

 

my brain feels brighter and my WSM visualizations are brighter and more energized too. THe fact that I actually woke up to do this in the cold on 6 hours of sleep on a weekend is an achievement in itself, too.

 

An idea from solarhealing.com--keep a two liter bottle of water in the sun all day then drink it for solar charged water.

 

I'll experiment with this area. I'm able to achieve moodiness even while being great with practice, retention, etc and searching my memories, I've been consistently happy during phases where I've worked construction, been outdoors a lot, etc even without any hotshot practices going on, so this might be an important component for me.

 

Obviously, I'll soon fold in WSM and standing at the same time. (I've already folded in WSM and primordial--I just set up two visualizations at the same time--it works! The Tibetans do simultaneous mandalas/visualizations all the time, so I've known about this, but have never tried it before.

 

-Yoda

[BobD]

Never tried sungazing from this point of view before, but it is a recommended practice of the Bates Method (which is something that I follow).

 

Basically, Bates was a guy who held the belief that glasses and contacts are a bad idea, and that all people need to do to improve vision is relax, and stop straining to see. One of the methods he recommended (not the main method by any means, just one method) was to stare at the sun. This has since been modified by later practitioners to be look at the sun through closed eyelids, and to sway the head from side to side, so as to wash the (closed) eyes with sunlight. This helps promote a more relaxed state of vision.

 

I have stopped wearing my glasses completely, (they were never very strong anyway) and follow this and other practices to relax my eyes. My eyesight has improved since doing so. Bates himself, and plenty of others who follow his methods, claim to have helped hundreds of people go from very bad eyesight to 20/20 vision or better.

[Max]

Yoda, don't forget that the last part of WSM is the major and the most important part of the practice.

And, btw, thanks for the link on sungazing.

[Yoda]

In the Tibetan tradition, that last phase is not where one hangs out for most of the practice. It's my impression that phase I is 3%, phase II is 96%, and the wrapup phase is 3% in terms of amount of time spent. I've been treating it as a wrapup and I prefer the ball of fire conclusion that Bill sent out in his email recently. Thanks for any thoughts!

 

-Yoda

[Max]

[Yoda]

Thanks! So if you were practicing WSM for one hour, how long would one shoot for the last phase?

 

-Yoda

[Yoda]

Many of the sungazing websites mention gazing or sunbathing while standing with bare feet. There might be something to that--this morning I was watching the sunrise in the comfort of my car and this sunset while standing barefoot.

 

Quite a difference! the morning felt like it was filling up my head and it was nice but the sunset was extremely groovy--I felt the energy charge up my head but then flow down into the bottom of my feet and it felt great. Also, it took only 5 minutes of standing barefoot to get into the groove of the experience. I did a basic holding the ball in front of ltt stance and looked in the general direction of the sun (about 30 degrees away) during the last 45 minutes of direct sunlight. I looked below the sun, to the left, above and to the right switching every minute or two. Three hours later my feet are still tingling nicely.

:shock:Yoda:shock:

[Max]

So if you were practicing WSM for one hour, how long would one shoot for the last phase?

 

I would do visualizations for 30 minutes and then final phase for another 30. As days go by, the time that you spend on the last phase can be easily extended.. you will probably feel like doing it yourself and it will become one of the most enjoyable parts of practice. :shock:

 

Later you can just start with the last part and forget about the rest.

[Yoda]

Here's a free 83p ebook on sungazing--mostly FAQ but does mention variations such as sunbathing, looking at the sun through closed eyes, etc. He's very fixated on reducing and eliminating eating and sleeping. Claims that the brain works better on zero food, etc.

 

If for some reason that does not work:

> 1. Go to www.lifemysteries.com.

> 2. Click on Forums

> 3. Select: Sungazing (you may have to register and set up a login

ID)

> 4. Go to: Files and Downloads. Select Living on Sunlight e-book.

> Click on download.

>

 

This sunrise was cloudy but I stared at the clouds and did ZZ standing--another really good foot buzz. this evening did a very short ZZ standing while facing the sun but not looking at it--it was about 45min before sunset.

 

I'm going to try the add another ten second per day program right at sunrise and treat the sunset as a makeup session if the sunrise is cloudy. Treat it as a modified standing practice, see what's up. Then chase it with some WSM.

 

-Yoda

[sean]

Oh I forgot to mention, Yoda. Hira Ratan Manek, the guy from www.solarhealing.com, shows up on that yahoo group I posted from time to time to answer questions.

 

Sean.

[Yoda]

So they mention in zhanzhuang that practicing outside is better. I thought it was b/c the air is fresher, but now I think it's b/c you can catch the sun's energy. My ZZ practice is more consistently high voltage if I'm using any of the various sungazing methods plus a groovy foot buzz that I've not experienced before.

 

Like with sperm retention, I wonder why no ZZ teacher had brought it up before???

 

Coming from a Tibetan tradition, Taoism/Chia etc is badly organized and that can lead to problems BUT it's very open--at least you can find the answers if you look for them. In the Tibetan tradition you are on a need to know basis but it's harder to get in over your head or fly off on a huge tangent.

 

-Yoda

[Max]

[Yoda]

Not much is said in general on sungazing, but HRM the solarhealing dude says that sungazing is important to activate the pineal and the other glands, also sun on the big toe boosts the pineal. His pineal gland is said to have been scanned and several mm larger than average. Once you've established healthy gland functioning, then you can do darkness work w/o harm or deterioration. But he says it's harmful to do before this stage and is recommended for only extremely serious yogis.

 

There's really not much on this subject. My friend, Theo, is off to India to find the 37yr old sunyogi who is said to outdo HRM by not sleeping and drinking either! What catches my attention is that both of these guys have made some serious attainments in just a few years (if these claims are true). I'll pass on the report if Theo is able to track him down. I'm hoping he'll have a chance to swing through Egypt and scare something up on this subject as well.

 

I like practicing in the light and in the dark.

 

-Yoda

[Max]

Thanks Yoda. I have a good feeling about this one.

Too bad we found out about this right before winter so there isn't much sun around here in NYC, plus buildings blocking it.

 

Yes, I've heard before from different sources that you have to be qualified to do Dark Room Retreat (a student has to have at least first dhyana). They are not very common in Tibet when they lock you up in a box with just a small mailbox size opening for food, and you either come out through transforming your body or die. Also, the teacher has to be quailified to guide the student through the Retreat, and from what I understand threre are very few masters that can do that.

[Yoda]

Here's a cool link about "sunrise yoga":

 

http://www.videlinata.ch/w_sol03_gb.html#lever

 

 

-Yoda

[Yoda]

Max,

 

I'm glad you'll check into it! Do you buy HRM's no-eating claim? I do, but I'll have Ron kick his ass if he's lying. As Ron will tell you, it's unhealthy to kick a guru or even an ex-guru's ass-- definitely contract it out.

 

Actually, cloudiness might be an asset at least in the beginning--by HRM's method it takes a full 30 days of daily practice just to watch a five minute sunrise. It's been cloudy a couple of days here, but even just watching the clouds in the approx direction of the sun I'm picking up some nice vibes from that. I'm allowing myself to spend more time than the HRM 10seconds method if I'm 'cloud gazing' which turns it into a standing meditation practice (Sunyogi Umasankar does it sitting) and getting used to this here footbuzz phenomenon. I feel that "I" am up to handle more energy, but physically, I need to ease very slowly into the practice.

 

Yesterday, I had my 5 year old daughter look at the clouds (Even Mrs. Yoda said it was safe) to see if she could feel the chi, and she kept falling over laughing hysterically saying that it was very funny chi coming from the cloud. Now, I have no idea if she thinks my new hobby is goofy or if she really got a rush from it, but she laughed so hard I'd like to think that it was geniune.

 

-Yoda 8)

[Max]

Yoda,

 

Yes, I believe it's a natural stage of development when the conditions are right and you don't need to eat, or sleep for that matter. For the majority of people this stage will never come for a variety of reasons, but mainly because of karma and insufficient spiritual development. I believe if you meditate every day and do good to people (and spirits :wink: ), with addition of sungazing, you can probably do it in a year or so. It could actually be much sooner if you do retention.

 

Cool stuff with your daughter. You must have a very supportive wife if she puts up with all your "crazy" interests.